Roy Keane has no place in Manchester United’s history books

Roy Keane has been lauded by many as one of football’s best hard men over the years, in addition to having a solid playing career. But when you really think about it, was the Irishman ever a top player?

The answer is more than likely a resounding ‘no’. During his time in the middle of the park with Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, the controversial chap formed great partnerships with a number of other solid midfielders, and to be honest the only redeeming quality that Keane had was getting stuck in and playing the short five-yard passes to the side. Thrilling.

Keano was very much in the Michael Carrick mould and it was because of the now-45-year-old’s reputation as somebody not to reckoned with that he was awarded such praise throughout the course of his career.

It wasn’t like good old Roy thrived as a top goalscorer or was known for his never ending commitment. When Keane was out on that pitch it was like a game of search and destroy on Call of Duty, and that is quite frankly embarrassing.

Over the course of his career the bloke went out of his way to cause others physical pain, and he has stated as much in his autobiography. Being known as a hard man is one thing, but you need to build up your reputation as a solid player, too. For Keane, his misdemeanors will always follow him round for as long as he lives because they are the things that define his career.

From causing injuries to enduring long suspensions, Keane felt as if he was Billy big bollocks and has done for the entirety of his career. The bloke is an absolute prick, and whilst I’m not letting that cloud my judgement of his ability, it has to be said really.

The former Celtic midfielder was more concerned about creating controversy than creating great footballing history. Keane’s spats with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Mick McCarthy highlight his ability to use off the pitch antics to hide his on the pitch weaknesses.

If a game was on the line you couldn’t rely on Keane to keep his head and drive the team forward. The Irishman was a liability, and at the end of the day he will go down as a run of the mill player who let his pathetic outbursts dictate his legacy. How sad.

I'm a 22-year-old sports journalist covering football, MMA, NFL, WWE and more. I'm a Wolves fan, because for some reason I enjoy misery and heartache season after season.
Forever dreaming of a team of Steve Bulls.